


Recovery

by Bentclaw



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: M/M, Tanakabastian Takeover
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-15
Updated: 2015-06-15
Packaged: 2018-04-04 12:27:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4137537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bentclaw/pseuds/Bentclaw
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When they return to the manor following the sinking of the Campania, Sebastian is still weak. He struggles to maintain his butler facade while being aided in his healing by Tanaka.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Homecoming

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Tanakabastian Takeover Day 2k15. I feel nothing even approaching shame. This chapter is a setup, the second chapter will be posted sometime later today.

News of the _Campania_ sinking reached the mainland in the early hours of the morning by way of radio broadcasts from the relief ships. At first the messages were brief, conveying only the most vital information. The ship had gone down. Survivors were few. Those who had managed to get to the lifeboats before the ship sunk were being ferried back to London by various smaller ships which had been in the area.

At Phantomhive Manor, those early reports had been received with mounting panic by the staff. Finny and Mey-Rin were beside themselves with worry, and Bard was maintaining a grim sort of realism. They didn’t know that their young master was safe, so he thought they should prepare for the worst. Only Tanaka seemed confident that the members of their household would be returning to them in one piece.

After a few hours of frenzy, Bard finally confronted him. He stormed into the kitchen where Tanaka was quietly sitting in his favorite spot, slammed his hands down on the table, and practically shouted “How can you possibly be so calm?”

Tanaka just smiled and passed him a cup of tea. “If our young master is anything like his father, he’ll be just fine.”

“Well… I don’t know anything about that,” Bard muttered, pointedly avoiding the tea he’d been offered. He clenched his fists and raised his voice again. “All I know is that the young master is lost at sea! If he’s drowned, we won’t have anywhere to go. You could at least help me deal with the others! Nobody knows what we should do.”

“I thought an old man like me should stay out of the way,” Tanaka said as kindly as possible. “But if you feel like my experience is needed, I’ll be glad to take charge for a while.”

Within the hour, Tanaka had the others cleaning rooms and preparing to receive their master home at any time. His quiet certainty that they would be hearing word of Ciel’s survival before long soothed Finny and Mey-Rin at least, and Bard would benefit from their lessened anxiety. There really was no reason to worry. After all, Ciel would have Sebastian with him. Tanaka had done many impressive things during his prime, but he had never raised himself from the dead. If Sebastian could do that, he could certainly get a few people off a shipwreck.

By the second day, reports of the sinking had taken on a different tone. Rumors were spreading that there had been an attack of some sort on the ship. A mysterious group had allegedly paid for the use of a majority of the _Campania_ ’s cargo space. Were they transporting weapons? Supplies of some kind? Tanaka read the scattered reports with interest. Wild conspiracy theories weren’t unusual after a major disaster, but as a servant of the Queen’s Watchdog he knew enough to pay attention to them. A secret society with mysterious weapons was exactly the sort of thing that Ciel might be called upon to investigate.

He almost missed his younger years working with the late Lord Phantomhive. He certainly couldn’t keep up with all this excitement anymore. He could still handle himself in a fight if necessary, but these days he preferred a comfortable seat and a cup of tea. The position of House Steward suited him just fine. It was just that all this excitement was stirring up some memories. His time as Vincent’s butler had been full of interesting adventures just like this, and he recalled fondly many exploits that had caused just this much of a stir in the papers. He had always had fun seeing the aftermath of his work, and he wondered if Sebastian was having as good a time with his old job. It would be unfair for him to be envious, but all the same he wished he could be a part of the adventure.

Then again, he mused, maybe it was for the best that he was a safe distance away. Vincent had always hated it when the public took notice of whatever situation he was handling, he’d considered it a sign that he was doing a poor job in his role of watchdog. His son would most likely be the same.

Laughing quietly to himself, he got up from the table. He hadn’t heard from the other servants in nearly an hour, so it was a good time to check on what they were doing. The young master would almost certainly be in a bad mood when he arrived, so everything in the house needed to be in perfect condition.

Just as Tanaka had expected, he received a letter from the young master before the day was out. As was Ciel’s style, the communication contained only a location, confirmation that everyone was safe, and a request that he send someone to pick them up immediately.

As soon as he got the letter (delivered by owl, clearly Sebastian’s doing-he was the only man Tanaka had ever seen who could handle raptors that way) he called the other servants together and read it aloud to them.

“Now we have our orders,” he told them. Finny and Mey-Rin were openly weeping with relief, and he thought he saw Bard hiding a few tears of his own. “Bard, you can drive the carriage to the docks to pick them up. Finny, Mey-Rin, please do a last-minute inspection of the house. It’s certain to fall into disorder as soon as they get here, but I want it to be spotless until then.”

He waved them off, and they set themselves to their tasks with unmatched enthusiasm. Tanaka smiled and went back to his seat in the kitchen. He would have a few hours to rest before the travelling party returned.

* * *

 

When they opened the door to the manor, Ciel was instantly swarmed.

“Young master, do you need anything?” “We made soup, it’s not burned!” “Your bed’s all made up if you want to lie down!” He hadn’t known that it was possible to feel boxed in by two people, but Mey-Rin and Finny were certainly giving it their best shot. After meeting Bard at the dock he knew that they were likely to be emotional when he got home, but he had been hoping for a slightly more toned-down reception. Turning his head slightly, he shot Sebastian a meaningful look and hoped he would interpret it correctly as _“please get these two away from me.”_ He was far too tired to deal with this.

“Give him some room, you two.” Sebastian’s voice and posture lacked the usual shade of intimidation. He had healed the biggest of his wounds on the trip back, but he had used up most of his energy doing so. Now he was attempting to lean against the doorway without anyone noticing. Even in his weakened state, he managed to get Finny and Mey-Rin to stop badgering Ciel long enough for him to speak.

“It’s been a long trip, and I don’t want to be bothered. I’ll call for you if I need anything. Sebastian, you get some rest too. You’re no use to me like that. Make sure you don’t reopen any wounds getting to your room.”

He took advantage of the renewed fuss he’d caused by mentioning open wounds to sneak away. It wasn’t the most dignified exit for an Earl, but he might not get another opportunity. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Snake doing the same thing. Most likely rushing to his room to light the fireplace. He’d been a big help during the shipwreck, so Ciel decided to let him have the rest of the day off. He could make do with a lessened staff for one day.

He passed Tanaka on his way to the staircase, and the old steward briefly stopped him.

“I’m glad to see you’re well,” Tanaka said. “Is there any luggage to bring in?”

“No, it all went down with the ship,” Ciel answered. “Doesn’t matter. We can replace it all later.”

“Very well then,” Tanaka answered. “Shall I help Bard put away the carriage, then?”  

Ciel shook his head. “No, he can handle that on his own. You keep an eye on things inside.” He turned to leave, but paused for one more moment. “I’ve told Sebastian to take it easy for a while, I want you to make sure he does. He’s recovering from some injuries and I don’t want him doing anything to delay the process. You know how he is.”

Tanaka nodded. “I’ll check on him as soon as everything’s settled down. Rest well, my lord.”

Ciel continued on to his room, not noticing the soft smile growing on Tanaka’s face.


	2. Conclusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sebastian is sent off to recover, Tanaka checks on him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry internet, I couldn't figure out how to end the fanfic so all you get is this garbage. Also I wrote it at 3 am last night so I apologize for any odd composition errors.

Sebastian was _not_ sulking. He was in his room, certainly, with the lights off and his eyes closed, but there was a perfectly reasonable explanation for all of that. He was in the dark because he preferred it. He could see either way if he opened his eyes, so why bother setting a light? And he was in his room because he had been sent there, like a child. He snarled involuntarily, baring his fangs to the empty walls. It was insulting, it was undignified. He had a job to do. A good butler couldn’t show weakness, he could still work. His external wounds had all closed off, and the internal ones… well, they were healed enough. This wasn’t necessary. Being sent to his room like this, ordered to rest, it was almost like Ciel was pitying him. He didn’t need that.

He couldn’t disobey the order, of course, but he was tempted to get up anyway. If he didn’t work, he could still go around the manor and make sure the other servants didn’t destroy anything. That counted as restful, since it would prevent him from having to exert himself to fix their mistake. Yes, he would do that. In just a moment. As soon as he caught his breath again.

A knock on the door made him sit up with a jolt. Then he snarled again, in pain this time. Really, he hated this. He hadn’t even realized he’d been dozing off. He would have to fully heal himself as quickly as possible, so he could stop feeling like a weak, helpless human.

The knock came again, shaking him out of his thoughts. Time to act the butler again. “The door is open,” he said in his most polite tone. “May I ask who is calling?”

The door opened slightly, and Tanaka’s face appeared in the opening. “I’m afraid it’s only me. The young master sent me down to check on you.”

Oh, was that so. Sebastian heaved a sigh. Well, it could have been worse. He could have sent Finnian. “Come in.”

“You sound so happy to see me,” Tanaka chuckled. “I’ll be out of your way in just a minute. I brought some bandages. The young master mentioned you were hurt, and I thought you might not have had the time to properly treat your wounds.”

“Thank you, but that’s not necessary,” Sebastian replied quickly. Maybe a little too quickly. He couldn’t let Tanaka see his wounds, they had already closed over and all that was left on the surface was some blood and discolored skin. Humans didn’t heal that rapidly, and Tanaka would be suspicious if he saw. “I’ve got everything under control.”

His intention had been to get Tanaka out of his room, but clearly that wasn’t working. He watched in confusion as Tanaka moved to sit down on the foot of his bed. If he had no other reason to be here, shouldn’t he be leaving?

“You don’t have to try to fool me,” Tanaka said.

Sebastian stiffened. How much did he know? “I… what?”

“You don’t have to act tough for the benefit of an old man.” Tanaka winked at him. “I had your job for many years, you know. I’ve seen the good times and the bad ones, and I know what you just had was a bad time. I don’t know what happened on that ship and it’s not my job to know that anymore, but…” he shifted, moving ever so slightly closer. “I can’t say I’m not a bit curious.”

Sebastian relaxed again. That was it. Tanaka didn’t suspect him of being a demon, he was just trying to be friendly. They were talking, that was what people did. They had _talks_.

“I don’t know how much I should tell you,” he said. “At first it was fun. I enjoy working with the young master, and the enemies weren’t difficult to handle. But then the ship struck the iceberg, and it all got a little bit out of control.”

 He paused to evaluate the situation. What would he be feeling at this moment, telling Tanaka about this, if he were human? Shame, maybe? Shame at not living up to the title of the Phantomhive’s butler. It was as good a guess as any. He deliberately lowered his shoulders and hung his head slightly, turning his face away. “You must think I’m a failure, letting myself be surprised like that.”

Tanaka seemed surprised. “Of course not, not at all.” He reached out hesitantly and took Sebastian’s hand in one of his.

Sebastian raised an eyebrow, but didn’t stop him. Was this normal, when one human was having a talk with another? He was fairly sure it wasn’t.

Tanaka continued. “It’s rare to see you feeling so down, Sebastian, but from my limited knowledge it seems you handled the situation very well. I hope you don’t think I’m always judging you so harshly, if it had been me on that boat I certainly wouldn’t have done any good.”

His other hand came up to stroke at the back of Sebastian’s, and now he was _sure_ this wasn’t normal behavior. It wasn’t bad really, it was… calming? He hadn’t realized that he was actually feeling agitated, but there was no denying that the gentle touch was relaxing muscles he hadn’t been aware were tense. All the same, it was probably best not to let this continue. If acting vulnerable had gotten Tanaka to react this way, he’d better stop.

He raised his head again. “I’m honored to hear such praise from my predecessor,” he said. “I’m sure if you’d been there, we would have had a wonderful time. It’s not often my skills are tested to their limit, and I will admit I enjoyed myself.” He grinned, being careful not to show too many teeth.

Tanaka laughed. “I’ll have to twist your arm into telling me about it one day.” He stood up, letting Sebastian’s hand fall. “And perhaps you would be interested in hearing some stories from back in my day?” His voice sounded hopeful.

Sebastian was surprised to find that he actually was interested. Even more surprising, he thought that he might actually have agreed even if he wasn’t interested. He’d enjoyed this visit, against his better judgement. He was much less annoyed now, and his internal wounds were hurting less. He nodded his head. “I’d be delighted.”

Tanaka beamed. “I’ll hold you to that,” he warned, almost playfully. “I should leave you to rest for now though. Until next time.” He ran a hand through Sebastian’s hair and down his face (and wasn’t _that_ an interesting feeling) and was gone before Sebastian could even react.

Sebastian lay back down. Perhaps he would rest. Every once in a while, he could allow himself to enjoy something that wasn’t vital for his game. For now, a nap would be one. Maybe later, Tanaka could be another. 


End file.
